HOMEMADE CORN DOGS {HEALTHIER VERSION}

Uhhh...is there such thing as a healthy corn dog?...

NOPE...don't think so!

BUT what IF you could make a corn dog for your children that was HEALTHIER than the frozen corn dogs you normally buy?...WELL I'm going to show you how!

THINGS YOU'LL NEED

Ingredients 

12 hot dogs

Skewer

Oil {canola or the healthiest option}

A few bowls

A pan

Paper towels and cookie sheet

CORN DOG RECIPE

{shout out to my mother-in-law Vicki!...I got this recipe from her}

1 c. flour

3/4 c. corn meal

1 1/2 t. baking powder 

1/8 c. sugar

dash salt

1 egg

1 c. milk

One thing that makes these corn dogs a little bit healthier are the KIND OF hot dogs I used!!

HEBREW NATIONAL hot dogs are the BEST hot dogs ever!...however they are a bit more expensive...often healthier food is...

Using 'premium cuts of 100% kosher beef' makes me feel a little bit better about biting into it!

Before starting these corn dogs make sure you have all the ingredients that are the HEALTHIEST option! 

Like...instead of using normal corn meal you can buy BOB'S RED MILL corn meal that is 100% whole  grain and stone ground!

Also you might consider using almond flour or whole wheat flour!

{I didn't have any other flour so I just used regular flour}

 Put ALL the ingredients together and stir well!

 Rinse the hot dogs in warm water and DRY OFF COMPLETELY! 

 If you don't dry them off good enough the batter won't stick as well...

 Put the stick through the whole hot dog before you batter it!

If you can find shorter sticks those will work probably better and may seem a bit more authentic...

 While dipping hot dog in batter make sure you slowly twist the hot dog...

while you lift the hot dog out of the batter continue to do a slow twisting motion.

 Make sure your oil is very hot before putting any corn dog in it!
If you put it in too early the batter has a tendency to slip away from the hot dog.

They only take a few seconds to fry so watch them carefully!

REMEMBER: To to fry with the healthiest oil out there...although I don't think any of the option are very good...try to find the BEST!! 

I did some research and found out the Canola Oil has the LEAST saturated fat.

BUT then I did some more reader and found this comment under google search 

"Deep frying is never healthy, but for frying, lard is actually the healthiest. Animal lard, which is solid at room temperature, has a much higher heat thresh hold. When it is heated to a high temperature, it immediately creates a crust or a barrier between the food and the heated oil. When foods are fried in liquid vegetable oils, they absorb much more fat because you can't heat them to the same temperature as lard without burning them. The only exception to the vegetable oil rule is coconut oil/butter, which is also solid at room temperature, and because it is a tropical oil, has a very high thresh hold for heat. Also, canola oil should never be heated. It changes the molecular structure of that oil and makes it very, very unhealthy."

From SAGE

sourced from Google search {healthylazy.tribe.net}

I used Vegetable Oil which is probably the worst option ever...

After frying lay on a cookie sheet with paper towels to soak up the excess oil!

 Pick the one that looks the least disturbing and ENJOY!!

SO easy and a HEALTHIER...yet still not healthy alternative to a very unhealthy food!

ONE of my many motto's in life goes like this!...

LIVE your life healthy, 

work-out,

treat it well...

and once in a while enjoy something fried or covered in frosting!!

AMEN

XOXO

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{SIMPLY SADIE JANE} DESIGNS!!

MOST of you awesome readers know that I have an ETSY SHOP

BUT I haven't added stuff to it for a LONG TIME...which is RIDICULOUS because I made these pillows for my craft fairs in JULY!

OF COURSE life is crazy and I have a MILLION things to do...excuses...excuses BUT I got this lovely email from a gal from New Zealand {she even titled her email with a YO!! She spoke to my heart!}

ANYWAYS...she wanted to buy a few pillows and headbands from my craft fair...so that got my booty in gear AND I posted it on my ETSY STORE!

 Here's a sneak peak of a few options that I have FOR SALE!

I have YET to add any of my vintage or refinished items but I will EVENTUALLY...

that is if it isn't all sold at the craft fairs!

SO check out the {SIMPLY SADIE JANE} ETSY STORE.

OH...I have a link that takes you DIRECTLY TO IT on the LEFT SIDE of my blog.

Hope you're enjoying the fall weather as much as I am!

XOXO

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BLOG SWAP!!!

ALRIGHT GUYS...I have the adorable Nicole guest posting for me today!!... She is such a sweet girl and I feel so special that she wanted to do a blog swap!I am over at her blog today so CHECK OUT HER BLOG to see my blog post.Let's learn a little bit about Nicole!****
Hi everyone!  I'm so excited to be here today on Sadie's Blog.  
Let me begin by introducing myself;

I'm Nicole and I blog over at Miss Mommy.  I'm a wife and a Mommy to these 2 beautiful girls;

Every guest post I write I always stress how excited I am, but to be here on Sadie's blog makes me shriek with excitement.  I did a little happy dance down the hall and may have jumped up and down on the bed telling hubs that I was going to be here!
I have been following Sadie for a while and just LOVE her blog.  How adorbs is Reagan?!.  Sadie inspires me with her faith, diet & exercise regimen, her dedication to being a mother and her crafting....well that's just unreal!!!
You want to know more about me?.  mmmkay
I'm a Canadian from Toronto that now lives in Melbourne Australia.  You want to know how this came about?...Read THIS post.  It explains our story.  
So now that you're back and know how this Canadian girl came to live in Aussie, i'll tell you a bit more about me and my blog.
I share my life on my blog.  I share my secrets, recipes, stories about mommyhood, my insecurities and everything in between.  
Every Tuesday I run a Tuesday Ten Linky party.  It's a way for my readers and I to get to know eachother.  It's a post where you post about Ten of anything.  It can be Ten recipes you're dying to try, Ten fall fashion pins on Pinterest you love, Ten random Facts about you etc etc.  You get the drift.  
Something else really exciting just happened...I finally opened my Etsy shop!  In my Miss Mommy shop, you will see items like these;

You can see my Etsy Shop HERE
I have a ton of really exciting things coming up....want a hint?....
The Pleated Poppy = BLOOM BAG GIVEAWAY!!  
You can also find me on Facebook &  Twitter
As a Thank YOU to Sadie and for all  you awesome peeps, i'm going to giveaway an item of the winner's choice from my shop!  
Rules of the Giveaway:
Must be a Miss Mommy & Simply Sadie Jane Follower
Extra entries: "like" Miss Mommy on FacebookFollow Miss Mommy on Twitter
I'd LOVE to see all of you lovely Simply Sadie Jane readers over at my place.  Come on and say hi wontcha? Pin It Now!

MILESTONE!

Reagan has been 'trying' to walk for a couple months now but she has been 'officially' walking for about 3 weeks now.

Here's a video of her in action.

Enjoy the BLACK EYE and ALL.

I swear now that she is walking she feels like she can conquer the world...until she falls and hits her head or lands on a toys....OY!

I feel like she was JUST HERE!!

...or EVEN HERE!!

I can't believe she is SO BIG!

Goodness I love that little pea-pod...and with that...I'm going to kiss her cheeks!!

XOXO

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A BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND!

This weekend was FULL of wonderful walks, talks, laughs and just plain great time together!

Although summer is ending...or has ended...I will continue to walk around the GreenBelt until there is snow on the ground. 

In Idaho Falls, ID, there is a beautiful area for that perfect Saturday evening stroll!

 I can't even tell you how many times I've taken that walk...

I lost count about 5 years ago!

Shout out to the baby Toms!!
BRAND: Me in Mind

This was taken right after her nap!

She honestly looks like she got in some kind of a baby cage fight!

Poor thing...thank goodness its started to fade away now.

She is at the BEST stage right now...she just seems to understand and really 'get' us as parents.

She will cuddle when we want to cuddle, she'll play, run around and she has the BEST personality.

I swear I had a full on conversation with her this weekend...of course the conversation on her end consisted of a lot of gibberish and OHH's and momma's and dada's and WOW's!

But I totally understood what she was saying...

kinda!

 The BEST Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread!!

Recipe found {HERE}

 Reading books to your children in their cribs is a MUST!

 They have no choice but to listen to you because they have NO WHERE to go!!

GENIUS!

 This weekend wasn't only filled with great family and friend time...

but it was also FILLED with some amazing spiritual uplifting! 

 I was called to be the Primary President in my ward about 3 months ago!

Man...that was a surprise...a surprise that I couldn't be more happy about!
We have over 200 children in our ward and it is amazing how much each and every one of them strengthens my testimony every Sunday!
{cake and cupcakes made my Missy Nielsen}

Last night my presidency and I put together a teacher appreciation fireside!

 Since you CANNOT have a primary without all the AMAZING teachers and counselors!!

The time and effort all of these ladies put into their callings is amazing.

I learn from each of them every Sunday.

I am so blessed to have so many wonderful teachers and counselors and EVERYONE to strengthen my testimony.

{my amazing presidency!}

Saturday was the General Relief Society Meeting!

It was so wonderful that I used some of the material for my spiritual thought at the Teacher Appreciation Meeting!

  And...I'm going to share it again because I think it's something we ALL can be reminded off!

5 FORGET ME NOTS!!

{talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf}

1. Patient with YOURSELF!!

"The Lord knows you're not perfect and He also knows that the person YOU think is perfect...isn't perfect either."

I LOVE that! 

In this world today it is SO easy for us to compare and not feel good enough. 

We have to remember that we aren't trying to win any race...even against ourselves.

We need to do the BEST we can...and that best might be someone else's "better"...but it doesn't matter.

As long as we are being patient with ourselves.

2. Remember the difference between a good or foolish sacrifice!

I need help remembering this one ALL THE TIME.

Sometimes I forget that spending time with my daughter is going to be a GREAT sacrifice...instead of working like crazy when I don't necessarily need to.

3. Remember to be HAPPY NOW!

President Uchtdorf explains that most of us are searching for our 'golden ticket'...when really we need to be embracing live right now!

I need to remember to see my life RIGHT NOW as THE 'golden ticket'.

YES...those poopy diapers, stretch marks, greasy hair and bills ARE a golden ticket!

I wouldn't change it for the world.

4. Remember the WHY of the gospel!

"Often we see the gospel as fitting into our over scheduled lives."

My Heavenly Father and Savior ARE the center of my life.

For some reason I forget that sometimes.

The world can be a crazy place...but I need to remember WHY I am here!

5. Remember that the Lord LOVES you and will NEVER forget you!

It's easy to feel small and insignificant...especially in the world today.

When you think of ALL the people on the earth...you can't help but wonder if you even matter.

I am so grateful that I have a testimony of our Savior! 

I am so grateful that I KNOW that He loves me!

AND that He will NEVER forget me!

****

To listen to President Uchtdorf's talk click {HERE}

Thank you for letting me share a little bit of what mattered most to me this weekend!

I hope your weekend was full of wonderful things as well!

XOXO

                    

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CAFE RIO CHICKEN and GIVEAWAY!

Raise your hand if you like MEXICAN!! 

Raise your other hand if you like Cafe Rio, Bajios, or Costa Vita!

I don't know about you...but BOTH my hands are raised!

I am a HUGE fan of Cafe Rio and SOMETIMES when I am brave...I make it HOMEMADE!!

Thanks to my mother-in-laws recipe book...I always have it with me!

SO since the chicken is tender and the dressing is finger-lickin' good...

I wanted to give you ALL the recipe!

 DON'T WORRY!!

IT'S SO EASY

The recipe is actually for PORK but I didn't have pork hangin' around my house...nor will I ever...so i used chicken breasts!
They were juicy and pulled apart amazingly! 

CAFE RIO PORK or CHICKEN

1 3-4# pork roast or 6 chicken breasts

1 c. salsa

1 c. brown sugar

{THAT'S IT!}

Put pork/chicken and salsa and sugar in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred with fork when done. 

 Once you try this dressing...your taste buds and stomach and even your SOUL will thank you!

CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

1 pkg Hidden Valley ranch mix

3 T. Salsa Verde {green salsa}

1/8 t. Tabasco sauce

1/2 bunch cilantro

2 med. cloves garlic

3/4 c. mayo

3/4 c. sour cream

1-3 limes

Mix ingredients in blender. Add grated lime peel and lime juice to taste. Best when made ahead and chilled several hours. Thin with buttermilk if needed.

 Lime Rice

2 cups rice {long grain is what I used}

4 cups of water

3 T. butter

1-2 t. garlic powder

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

1-3 limes

Put everything in rice cooker and cook rice normally. add lime juice to taste!

 Oh and make sure your rice cooker is big enough FOR THE LOVE!

You could easily half this recipe and have plenty to eat!

 SERVE chicken and rice with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes or salsa, corn, black beans, chips and tortillas!

 It makes a great burrito or salad!

AND THE BEST LEFTOVERS

 SINCE it's Friday...I thought we would start the weekend off with a little giveaway!

 Although this giveaway has nothing to do with cooking it DOES have to do with delicious things...for your home and body!

 This is the ADORABLE 

{BRIELLE}

 FROM...

 Not only does she have adorable custom made posters for everywhere in the home but she ALSO sells oh-so-cute jewelry and headbands!

 AND

ONE LUCKY READER will get a 

HEADBAND OF THEIR CHOICE FROM HER ETSY SHOP!

Here's how you ENTER:

{leave a separate comment for each item you complete}

1. Grab my button and slab it up on the right side of your blog for the world to see! Then come back and tell me ya' did!

Grab the code on the left side of my blog!

2. Check out {BRIELLE PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN} etsy shop and come back to tell me what your favorite item it!

3. Then go and "LIKE" her on FACEBOOK!

4. Then check out her blog and "follow her"...leave her come comment love!

5. Follow MY blog {simply sadie jane} and leave a comment saying so.

{make sure you check and see if you are!}

6. Follow {simply sadie jane} on twitter, facebook or RSS feed! {up to 3 entries}

{you can follow all 3 of these on the top right of my blog}

7. Blog, Facebook and/or Tweet about this giveaway and then leave a link for it here. {up to 3 entries}

GIVEAWAY closes on Sept 29th at midnight!

WINNER will be announced September 30th, 2011

XOXO

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COTTAGE CHEESE KISSES!

The other day I had A LOT going on...

and ALTHOUGH much of my day was filled with enjoyable things...

there was definitely one little part of my day that was the best!

WHICH PART YOU ASK?

I had Crossfit at 5:30 AM and did 100 kettle bell swings and ran a mile and a half...

that WASN'T the best part of the day!! 

Making pumpkin cupcakes:

NOPE...this wasn't it either!

 Attempting to put popcorn balls together even though the caramel isn't set enough...

THIS wasn't the best part of my day either!

 Painting and sanding furniture to make it OH so shabby chic!

...NOPE...not this either!

 Look at that beauty!

What about an amazing night with my mom and sister to Cafe Rio, TJ MAXX and a movie!

Sounds pretty amazing huh?...

This ISN'T it either!!

While I was in the kitchen doing some cooking, I grabbed the cottage cheese and took a few spoon-fulls!

Of course if Reagan sees the fridge open she is RUNNING to the kitchen!

So instead of putting the cottage cheese away...I sat right down on the kitchen floor and shared some cottage cheese with my little girl!

YES...THAT was the BEST PART of my day!!

There is nothing better than having my precious little girl come over to me with a mouth full of food, climb up on my lap, wrap her little arms around me and smoother me with cheesy kisses!

At the end of the day...NOTHING else mattered!

I get so caught up in my 'long list of things to do' that I forget about the little moments sometimes...

when really all I need to do is STOP and SIT!!

Even if it is in my kitchen.

So...this is the motto of the day...

{STOP AND SMELL THE TILE}

uhhh...or something like that!

XOXO

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